Most Liked Instagram Art Posts of June

Gordana Sretenović. Teaching English and writing for a living. Obsessed with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Desires to travel the world and not have a permanent address. Occasionally writes poetry.

It’s been a while since Instagram has taken the world by storm, so we can safely say that we’re living in the Instagram era nowadays. No meal, no snack, no rainbow or sunset, no concert or picnic, no public performance or street art piece can avoid the classic Instagram filter, hashtag, or like. Since the social network is home to basically every aspect of life, it has become home to art as well. And aren’t we glad that it is so? Instagram has become the perfect medium for self-expression, and the wonderful app that brings art from all over the world directly to your smartphone. You don’t even have to leave the house (which by no means mean that you shouldn’t). For all the art lovers, Widewalls is very active on this social network, so if you’re interested in the latest art news, projects, exhibitions, or just the latest street art update, go ahead and tap the follow button. And now, scroll down to see the most liked Instagram moments of the month of June 2016. #enjoy

Banksy in Bristol

No shocker here, we were expecting Banksy to be in the top most liked posts anyway. The mysterious street artist has produced an adorable mural for the children of Bristol on the side of the Bridge Farm Primary School in his hometown. The piece is a depiction of a 14ft child with a simple stick, chasing a burning tire, signed by the famous street artist himself. He even left a note for the kids that says:

“Dear Bridge Farm School, Thanks for your letter and naming a house after me. Please have a picture. If you don’t like it feel free to add stuff, I’m sure the teachers won’t mind – remember, it’s always easier to get forgiveness than permission. Much love, Banksy.”

Mr. Banksy keeps proving why he is the most loved and respected urban artist nowadays since he always finds the way to give back to the community that raised him.

Image via dailymail.co.uk

Borondo in Berlin

The unsettlingly beautiful Borondo mural in the street art capital of the world, Berlin, has stirred some controversy and upset the residents of the city. The large-scale piece painted in the neighborhood of Tegel has caused some of the residents to launch a petition for the removal of the artwork. But what made them so upset? The mural depicts a young refugee girl lost in her thoughts, covered in blood, with a naked body, handcuffed to a tree, punctured by an arrow on the other side of the piece. Even though it carries a very strong message, the piece obviously made some people uncomfortable, due to the ongoing refugee crisis that is shaking Europe, especially Germany.

Images via streetartnews.net

Case Ma'Claim in Manchester

The streets of Manchester have recently gotten richer by a number of gorgeous street art pieces because of the Cities of Hope festival. Case Ma’Claim was one of the invited artists, and he created a stunning piece entitled Human Dignity is Inviolable. He worked with the charity Back on Track and decided to depict one of the people they support. The German graffiti artist employed his signature life-like imagery to create this amazingly realistic piece that sends a positive message that anyone can make their life better. Just like a man depicted in the mural, we all need to recollect for a moment, and reflect on our decisions and think about are plans before venturing onto a wonderful journey called life. And sometimes, in this world full of negativity and death, it is nice to be reminded that not everything is lost and that we can always get back on track when we fail.

Image via Back on Track Manchester Facebook page

Fin DAC in Cartagena

Fin DAC has recently spent some time in Cartagena, Colombia to paint a gorgeous mural entitled Las Tres Guerreras. The artist reached out to the locals of Cartagena, asking them to send him their personal photos via social media, with an idea to find an indigenous individual that would be a perfect representation of the cultures and ethnicities in the melting pot of culture that is Cartagena. The winner of this unusual contest, Ana Luisa Muñoz is now forever immortalized in the beautiful mural on the wall of the Quintal Distrito Gourmet in the neighborhood of Getsemani, where the Irish artist has painted several times over the years.

Images via streetartnews.com

Phlegm in Birmingham

The famous street artist Phlegm has recently painted an amazing mural for the City of Colours festival in Birmingham. The piece is a depiction of a weird, long-limbed, scaly creature emerging from the water to save the drowning people and take them to safety, rescuing them from certain death. The sad creature is maybe a symbol for all the people who cannot find their place in this world despite their good intentions, and despite them trying hard to be accepted. So what can we learn from this piece? We should all try just a little harder to see past our differences and stereotypes and make our lives richer by letting people in, instead of shutting them out.

Images via londoncallingblog.net and birminghammail.co.uk

Low Bros in Belgium

The Berlin-based street art brotherly duo Low Bros, Christoph and Florin Schmidt have painted a large-scale piece for the North West Walls festival in Belgium, curated by Arne Quinze. The brothers often center their imagery around stylized animal characters with human features, hip hop culture, and skateboarding subcultures. Their works depict the city life in contrast to the natural purity of animals, accentuating the ever-present tension between the ambivalent urban areas and the natural spaces. The perfect synergy of organic and geometric shapes makes each of their pieces fascinating and attention worthy, so it is no wonder that their mural for the North West Walls festival made it to the most liked list of the month.

Image via lowbros.de

Art Hamptons is Back

From street art straight to art fair! The Art Hamptons fair has collected quite a few likes in the past month, and how can it not, since it brought over sixty-five galleries from all over the world together for the 9th time. Owned by Urban Expositions from Atlanta, which also produces Art Aspen, Houston Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs Art Fair, and the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago, Art Hamptons was on from June 23rd to June 26th. One of the most interesting events was the Cuban Art Today, which explored the societal, cultural, and economic changes and developments of Cuba during the last decades.

Nevercrew in Birmingham

Manchester hosted a street art festival called Cities of Hope, and Nevercrew was among the invited artists who created astonishing works of art. The Swiss duo, Pablo Togni and Christian Rebecchi, produced a large-scale piece entitled Inhuman barriers. The artwork draws attention to the recent troubles the world has been facing for quite some time now, such as the ongoing immigration crisis. The piece offers support to the solidarity group called WASP (Women Asylum Seekers Together). Since today’s post is all about togetherness and solidarity with our fellow humans, this Nevercrew artwork fits perfectly into the theme.

Image via brooklynstreetart.com

Nychos in New York

The perfect opportunity for a little bit of social commentary! Nychos created a thought-provoking piece in New York, entitled Exploding Ronald’s head, criticizing the ever-growing fast food industry and its constant presence in the media. Wherever we turn we are blinded by the flashing signs of fast-food chains that lure us into their seemingly safe restaurants to stuff our faces with “healthy and natural” food. The Americans spend over $100 billion on fast food each year, the amount of money that could be used to stop world hunger. Instead, we get obese children in the developed countries and starving babies in undeveloped ones. Talk about justice, right?

Image via goplaymagazine.com

Pejac in London

The gravity-defying shoes “hung” from the street lamps in London? It does not get any better than this! Pejac, the famous Spanish artist, created a series of unique installations called Downside Up, making the passersby question their sanity and checking if they are not still asleep. The artist jokingly said: “For my first ever London public intervention I thought of doing something very high end.” The sculptural pieces show pairs of old shoes and can be seen in Redchurch Street, Granby Street, and Shacklewell Street in East London.

“’You do not have to be an artist or a child to have a different view of reality. This work is for those who are looking to let their imagination drift away with gravity. Or possibly more for all those who have forgotten to do so.” – Pejac